Now Middlesbrough Council has spent £780,000 on the one-sided pro-stock transfer campaign, they have NOT put the case for staying with the council.

In their slick brochures, videos, road shows, all to sell a promising rose-tinted future to council tenants, it is important tenants be given a few facts about the one-sided view of a future life in paradise.

They call it choice, but I feel the council's information to tenants is a hard-selling marketing campaign. They are exaggerating the benefits of stock transfer, suggesting tenants will get new kitchens, bathrooms, and the like. I don't believe they will.

Democratic control and tenants' power is undermined by a board on which tenant representatives are outnumbered and bound by corporate responsibility.

The council has stopped individual councillors opposing the council's policy.

I congratulate the Liberal Democrat councillor Joe Michna for his support against stock transfer, as council housing is worth defending. The council is far from brilliant, but a better landlord than most.

For years Governments have told us there is no money for improvements, suddenly there is plenty of money - but only if we accept stock transfer as this money comes out of our rents.

We need direct investment in council housing. If we could afford this in 1945 with a war-torn economy, we can afford to redirect investment away from stock transfer and back into council housing.

Councillors and MPs who are supporting stock transfer should reconsider their position and join with tenants to force the Government and councils to concede direct investment in council housing - with no strings attached.